This year, India experienced a significant increase in extreme weather events such as heatwaves and lightning strikes, and the related death toll reached its highest level in three years, according to government data released on Wednesday (Dec. 7). Scientists blame climate change for the high death toll.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences said that there were over eight times as many heatwaves, a total of 27, and that lightning strikes increased more than 111 times, resulting in the deaths of 907 individuals.

The number of thunderstorms climbed more than fivefold to 240.

Until last month, this year's 2,183 such deaths were the highest since 2019's 3,009. The analysis revealed that lightning, floods, and heavy rainfall accounted for 78% of deaths this year.

The Indian government reported in August that monsoon season temperatures had climbed in the 21st century and the country may experience more frequent heatwaves in the future. India is the third-largest carbon polluter in the world, although its per capita emissions are significantly lower than those of many affluent nations.

The country of roughly 1.4 billion people experienced its hottest March in more than a century, while April and May's temperatures were abnormally high, primarily due to climate change.

According to the World Health Organization, between 1998 and 2017, more than 166 thousand people perished worldwide due to heat waves. It is estimated that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths each year due to starvation, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.

This year, a third of India's western neighbor Pakistan was ravaged by severe floods that killed more than 1,500 people and affected millions.